Rand Paul on Social Security

Raise the retirement age to deal with Baby Boomers

I promise we won't do anything to change benefits for those currently receiving Social Security. But we have the baby boomers getting ready to retire; subsequently doubling the amount of people already dependent on an unsustainable system. To just say
we're going to keep borrowing more money simply will not work. We must reform the program for younger Americans, including adjusting eligibility requirements. To sustain our current system, we may need to raise the retirement age for future generations.

Raise retirement age gradually; allow opting out

With regard to entitlement reform, it has to happen. There isn't any question that it will happen. It's whether we do it gradually in a rational manner, or whether we wait until there's a collapse of the country and we have to do it dramatically.
Everybody knows the answer. I said it in my campaign. The Republicans attacked me for it and so did the Democrats. The age of Social Security will have to gradually rise. I got a note from a young man who worked in the campaign, and he may be here today.
He said, thanks for proposing the $500 billion in budget cuts, thanks for tackling the Social Security problem and then, I wouldn't mind opting out of Social Security. Is there anybody here who would like to opt out of Social Security?

We need bold
leadership. We can't have this incrementalism. It's not going to be enough. You need bold leaders who will stand up & say, this should be done in Washington, but this should be left to states and localities respectively. One person can make a difference.

I've never challenged constitutionality of Social Security

Conway is the public face of a new push led by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee that is targeting GOP candidates who support privatizing or cutting Social Security. "Rand Paul, the Tea Party leader running against me for Senate in Kentucky,
thinks Social Security is unconstitutional," Conway says in a letter to supporters of the progressive group. Joining Conway are some 200 other Democratic House and Senate candidates who have signed on to a pledge rejecting any effort to privatize or scal
back Social Security benefits or raise the retirement age.

In an interview with ABC News, Conway said that Social Security represented an "area of stark contrast in the race." During the course of the campaign, Paul has suggested raising the retirement
age and Conway has alleged his opponent believes Social Security is unconstitutional.

It's a claim that Paul denied as recently as Sunday night: "I've never challenged it and I do not challenge the constitutionality of it," Paul said at a debate.

Raise the retirement age for people under age 55

Q: If you want to get serious about the national debt, you have to do something about entitlements. Tell me of a single benefit you would reduce?

PAUL: Well, you don't do anything to people who are currently receiving Medicare or Social Security.
But we do have to admit that we have the baby boom generation getting ready to retire. There will have to be changes for the younger generation.

Q: So you would raise the retirement age?

PAUL: For younger people, yes.

Q: So higher deductibles or higher premiums, for people 55 or younger?

PAUL: Yes. You're going to have to have eligibility changes for the younger people.
And I think all younger people, if they're honest and will admit to it and have an adult discussion and not demagogue the issue, will admit that younger people will have to have different rules.

The Christian Coalition voter guide [is] one of the most powerful tools Christians have ever had to impact our society during elections. This simple tool has helped educate tens of millions of citizens across this nation as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.

The CC survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Allowing individuals to invest a portion of their Social Security tax in private retirement accounts"

Scoring system for 2014: Ranges from 0% (supports privatization and other market-based reforms) to 100% (supports keeping federal control over Trust Fund and Social Security system).

About ARA (from their website, www.RetiredAmericans.org):

The Alliance for Retired Americans is a nationwide organization, founded in May 2001, with now over 4.2 million members working together to make their voices heard in the laws, policies, politics, and institutions that shape our lives. The mission of the Alliance for Retired Americans is to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and security.

Alliance members visit the polls in record numbers. We use the power of our membership and our Congressional Voting Record to educate and mobilize seniors to elect leaders committed to improving the lives of retirees and older Americans.

We are effectively warding off cuts to our most important social programs like Social Security and Medicare. Our Human Chain Against the Chained CPI events in the summer of 2013 took place in more than 50 cities and mobilized support for stopping this cut to earned Social Security benefits.

We blocked the privatization of Social Security with our Social Security "Truth Truck" delivering 2.1 million petitions to Members of Congress and other tactics.

The Alliance makes its voice heard on the issues that matter not just to current retirees, but to all Americans who hope to retire one day. We were a leading voice in recent debates considering changes to Medicare, like replacing guaranteed benefits with a voucher system, and remain so in 2014.